"You have made known the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Psalm 16:11

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Summer is Almost Here

Only one more week until school is out! My son loves school - who doesn't love Kindergarten? He is like me and thrives around others and prefers the classroom to one on one. Although it will be a transition for all of us, I look forward to the relaxation summer can bring. No more getting his clothes ready the night before, checking the backpack, getting out the door at a certain time. There will still be structure in our house, just no set schedule!

More than anything, I look forward to having my son back! Everyday when I drop him off at school I pray for his protection - physical, mental, emotion, spiritual! There are days he comes home from school and I wonder what he's heard and experienced. He has learned many things this year I wasn't ready for - like names for parts of his body - words we don't use in our house! So, when I say I want my son back, it's not just because I miss him. It's because I want control back. For someone who always thought she would homeschool, this year has had it's challenges. I still believe it is God's desire for him to be in public school during this season of our lives, but I look forward our being the major influence of his life.

We will do some homeschooling of our own this summer. Besides working on the basics like shoe-tying and telling time, we will be reading a lot and working on Scripture memory and character development. I plan to use Focus on Your Child's Character Crew. We'll do one each week.

So, all you homeschooling moms - what are your summer plans? Will you continue or take a break? My sis-in-law goes all year and it works well for them. I really enjoy reading about your homeschooling adventures, plans, struggles, successes! Whether or not I ever get to do it, the subject will always fascinate me! I have such respect for you! And supermom, I know you don't churn your own butter, but my good friend in Iowa has her own goat that they milk! They are a terrific family! But there is no typical homeschooling family!

What are some of the challenges you face as a homeschooler? Do you find yourself asking why you are doing this? Should they be in school somewhere else? I know homeschool parents tend to go through this each year. As a public school mom I am going through some of the same dilemmas. I guess each year we will ask ourselves the same questions - do we continue with public school and is this still God's plan?

It's so funny that I'm reading your post today because homeschooling has been heavy on my mind.

It's always at this time of year that I re-evaluate everything I did or didn't do this year. I find myself searching for help in our weak areas and questioning if I'm teaching enough, in the right method, the right timing, etc.

I have pretty much taken the summer off for outside activities every year. Last year we did lots of reading. But this year I'm hoping to continue in some of our weakest subjects just so we can continue improving and not take three steps back in the fall.

It sounds like you've got some great plans for your little guy and I know he will enjoy a summer off with Mommy! :)

hey inspired - did you find flylady? all of us 30-somethings need help and inspiration managing our homes and flylady is that resource! i was telling bf today about how much i like flylady and she might be interested too! i thought your generation had it all together, but i guess you still have your clutter issues, huh! maybe even 40+ years of clutter issues!

Hey, it's so cool to see your kids come of age. In many ways, parenthood gets no better than it is now. In other ways we wish we could hold on for the ride. I see my babies and its hard to let them go, but such is the way of life. To everything, turn, turn, turn.

About Me

Once upon a time I had a cute paragraph here about how great life was in our little town. Then life became hard, with one challenge after another. But I have learned that sometimes life isn't good at all. But thankfully, God always is.